Academic and government research regarding the affordability of household drinking water and sewer utility (water utility) costs have resulted in the development of several methodologies that have been tested at various geographic levels. A New Jersey study on potential household affordability stresses from water utility costs at or below the Census tract-level estimates that approximately one-fifth of all New Jersey households could face affordability stresses, assuming that they directly pay all water utility costs. The methodology is adapted from the Affordability Ratio method of Teodoro. The results show the potential for use of county-level household essential expenditure estimates in areas with high-density populations. They also show the value of the methodology as a basis for policy discussions regarding the severity and geographic distribution of affordability stresses, as the analysis clearly indicates that significant affordability stresses exist in many suburban municipalities and rural town centers, not just historic urban cities.

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The New Jersey Water Supply Authority is developing a draft watershed management plan for the Raritan River Basin, a 1,100 square mile area in central New Jersey. The plan, developed through an extensive and intensive public participation process, must address both surface water quality problems and a variety of other natural resource issues. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) funds most planning costs and will formally adopt the watershed management plan, giving it the force of regulation. Similar to some states, New Jersey is implementing watershed management through a formal statewide, State-initiated process. However, NJDEP has contracted with other non-profit or government agencies to manage each project.

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